This conversation is the last of 6 conversations. The series will stage conversations around the different areas of the Waterloo Architecture curriculum with one broad ambition: “Questioning the canon: In a world of unprecedented possibilities and unforeseen brutalities, what can architectural education do?”
This particular conversation will feature Allan Cain and Gloria Cabral and will consider the following sub-question: "In an era of increased specialization and an expanding body of distributed knowledge, how can architectural practice develop integrated approaches to the most pressing problems of our times?”
Gloria Cabral
Africa has some of the world’s most unequal cities. Informal settlements in African cities, and the struggles that are fought in their defense, are evidence of deep-rooted exclusion. They have inherited colonial segregated planning laws that are socio-economically exclusive, resulting in cement cities and slums. In many African former colonial countries, a struggle for a right to the city formed an integral part of the fight against colonialism and apartheid. In the decades since independence, few African states have been able to develop and implement reforms governing urban development to effectively improve these characteristics of their cities
Allan Cain
Allan Cain is an architect and specialist in urban project planning. He has over 35 years of professional experience in developing countries implementing projects for community water supply, school building & planning, environmental sanitation, land rights and public participation. He has participated in a number of missions for the United Nations, European Union and the World Bank. He is a founding director of Development Workshop, an Officer of the Order of Canada the Canadian Honorary Consul to Angola and a member of the boards of several international development institutions. He has lectured at universities in Canada, Angola, Norway, USA, South Africa and UK. His articles and papers have been published widely in international journals.